This session will be booming as Gina Zdanowicz explores effect plug-ins, layering and editing techniques for creative sound design and music with a punch. Audio directors and game producers are always looking for bigger sounds that stand out in the mix or make a trailer feel charged. Join Gina as she shares techniques she learned working in the field to satisfy those demands. She will get up close and personal with tools like tremolo to move sounds, transient designers to sharpen the attack and add more punch, automation for more control and more.

This talk will provide both sound designers and composers tips on using various plug-ins along with layering and editing techniques to add more punch to their sound. From weapon sounds to trailer style music there will be videos, images and audio examples to demonstrate Gina’s punchy tips.

Game Audio Essentials Track: Two Days of intensive sessions, panels and masterclasses on the essentials of game music and sound, designed for those coming from Film, TV, music and other traditional media.

3:30 – 4:30 Telling a Story Through Music and Sound: The Audio in BestLuck

How do you tell a compelling story that has no dialogue whatsoever? How do you make your audience feel something without words? Through the development of BestLuck we faced exactly these challenges. The goal of BestLuck is to explore a dream world and solve puzzles to uncover the truth about why you are there. Using only environmental interactions, sound design, and music, we had to craft a compelling story that not only spoke to players, but also left them with an intense connection to the game’s only other character – a mysterious woman that points you deeper into the dream.

Our talk will cover some of the more technical tricks and devices that we used to convey this story, and support the visuals and puzzle mechanics. On the topic of sound design we will discuss how asset creation is crucial in setting the scene for the audience, and how small choices often make a huge impact on the emotion that players feel. We will also go over the role that implementation plays in storytelling, and how setting up an adaptive soundscape can make or break the immersion of an interactive story. On the subject of music we will discuss how choices in palette selection, orchestration, and recording are all important factors in the way the story is perceived for the player. We will analyze specific examples from the score, and talk about how to make creative decisions that allow your soundtrack to move your audience, even on a very minimal budget.

Today is the release of a the AAA game Just Cause 3, available on XBox One, Playstation 4, and PC (Steam). Gina Zdanowicz spent 10 months in 2014/2015 as a contract sound designer for the upcoming release “Just Cause 3” by Avalanche Studios and Square Enix.

Hire us

We love getting our hands dirty creating sounds that provide a unique audio soundscape for each project. We aim to create sound effects and music that will immerse the player or viewer deeper into your game world, scene or virtual reality.